Micro Mosquito Review - Page 2

Azimov · #16 11-21-2006, 02:19 PM

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Has anyone come up with a way to cancel what I call "The Death Spiral"?

These things are very sensitive to air currents. You can "steer" out of the spiral in the opposite direction. If you are far enough from the floor, it will get you out in time. Try this while adjusting throttle as well, it works most of the time. It's most effective right at the beginning of the spiral, if the MM gets to far into the wide spirals, it's going down.

Michael.mt2k · #17 11-22-2006, 11:44 AM

Thanks!

My only other solution is really just to get it down as fast as possible. (and turn off the AC/heat!!)

The MM's larger sibling the "Extreme Rescue Helicopter" is also prone to that condition, but with no tail prop it's even harder to counteract.

When I sell 'em I make sure I let folks know what to expect.

(still really tempted to do the throttle spring mod on the store demo, you don't know!)

Azimov · #18 11-22-2006, 06:09 PM

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The MM's larger sibling the "Extreme Rescue Helicopter"

Yeah, all of the dual rotor designs suffer fom this. Even the ones that cost a couple hundred dollars. They are all very sensative to any breeze no matter how small.
I flew my MM past my daughters aquarium hood which has a tiny computer cooling fan in it. The MM wasn't even near the fan but over the center of the hood and it got a serious case of the wobblies.
That's what to look for by the way. The "toilet bowl spiral" is immediately proceeded by the heli beginning to wobble side to side. As soon as you see the wobblies coming on, give it a little throttle and turn in the opposite direction.

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still really tempted to do the throttle spring mod on the store demo

It really helps me to control the MM. I know some people prefer to feel the tension on the stick, but removing it helps me keep the imputs small and precise. Of course, you have to remember to power down instead of just releasing the throttle as usual.

Michael.mt2k · #19 12-05-2006, 07:35 AM

I had to pack up my store's original MM today after a couple months of hard demoing.

I had to because it wouldn't trim anymore, even after I replaced the blades and did a disassembly/inspection on the main rotor shaft. (Much wear in that area too)
Even with the sick hard over it would still spin slightly.

The new one I took out to demo was perfect right out of the box, however I'm not sure if the charger is working properly.

This new one is probably the least noisy I've experienced too.

While these things are still really cool, it doesn't seem like they are truly built to last, nor is quality control terribly consistent.

For a toy it's great. As a hobby item I would say it's at best a novelty.

Azimov · #20 12-05-2006, 11:08 AM

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While these things are still really cool, it doesn't seem like they are truly built to last, nor is quality control terribly consistent.

For a toy it's great. As a hobby item I would say it's at best a novelty.

Yeah, I'd agree with that 100%. The MM does offer one of the coolest and controllable micro flight expereinces out there right now. But, QC and robustness are major issues. I think $70.00 should deliver more in those departments, but I'm an old fart and that's a lot of money for a toy to me, lol.
I would hope Petter (the designer) would push for even better micro models like the MM. If they can get QC consistent and add a few features, like a gyro for yaw, I think people would go $100.00 or more for one. That's assuming more robust motors and gears can be used as well. There should be motor and main shaft replacement kits offered and they should come with bearings installed on the main rotor shaft as well as the lower gear.
I think the problem is that the folks that decide what to make for the mass markets consider anything under a certain size as just a toy and design it accordingly. The Micron line of helis show that adults will indeed buy micro machines that are well above toys in quality and price. Hopefully, this market will expand and allow for even smaller machines that more serious hobbiests can afford and would buy.

radbad747 · #21 01-07-2007, 10:12 AM

first one was a 27mhz.....death sprial..then dead stick (throttle)
2nd one lasted 10seconds at xmas time for my dad...how disapointing to give a gift that works for 10 seconds..packed it up...call interactive toys in Canada...wow...are they useless and unforgiving....went back to the store i bought it at...they said sorry...we dont take returns on flying toys. so i called RS Corp. phone number i searched on google for...talked with "Cindy"...she straightened out the store for me and upon my arrival at "said store" the manager asked me if i wanted to give it one more try as he had just recieved a fresh shipment of MM's...i looked at the freq- and it was a 49...then looked at the tail rotor...it seemed larger that the prev. one had...so im giving it a 3rd chance...then...we will see whats up...if it fails thou...this is the last time im going thru this...at $73 plus change...and $15 in hi-end disposable batteries im not gonna do it again..im going to Tower hobbies and go Hi-End EP copter searching. does anyone here own a copter thats indoor oriented...like a Venom..or a Shogun Midget?

Azimov · #22 01-09-2007, 05:50 PM

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so im giving it a 3rd chance...then...we will see whats up...

Good luck with it! I'm still flying my MM with no problems yet. I'm actually surprised at how well this one is doing. I haven't even needed to replace any rotors yet. My first was a 27mHz as well and it was total junk. I still have it for parts, but haven't needed any yet.
I still think the MM is the best living room heli out there, but I hear ya on the quality issues. It's a shame such a great design is out there and the manufacturers are killing it.

Michael.mt2k · #23 01-12-2007, 12:17 PM

Massive returns on this item at this point.

Shoddy. Just shoddy. I am heartbroken.

radbad747 · #24 01-19-2007, 09:59 AM

well...it seemed to good to be true upon purchase, that an indoor heli could be had for that price ( affordable..haha).

this 3rd one suffered the toilet bowl spin and could never trim it out for stability...ill be damned if ill crack the back of the radio off and tweak a pot or two like my friend tried....just wont do...so i took it back...and got a real rash from the lady behind the counter. She felt she needed to test it out before refunding my CASH...so it was entertaining atleast..thank god i didnt have anything to do for the next 20imnutes...but did have to prod her for the cash after awhile. I told her : " look miss...you obviously havent read the directions or even flown one before due to the fact you turned on the MM on before the radio...which you have to hold the throttle stick to the MAX to make the green lite go steady..." once i said that...she dipped into the register and handed me my $73.48.....geezus....some chicks....

now what do i buy that will definately work for low buck?...any sugg out there
friends?

Azimov · #25 01-19-2007, 05:59 PM

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so i took it back...and got a real rash from the lady behind the counter

Man, I hate it when employees that wear the company on their sleeves act like it's THEIR money that's being returned. See, a decade or so back, I woulda told you to just not go back to that store. But, that's pretty much moot as RS turns over employees faster than McD's can turn a burger. So, chances are, if you go back in a month or so, there will be yet another smiling face there, freshly pumped from the orientation videos, asking about your cell phone service plan. I pretty much avoid RS all the time. Only two products have enticed me past their threshhold and Zips are gone, and the MMs are a crap shoot with the odds against you.

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now what do i buy that will definately work for low buck?...any sugg out there
friends?

That's a tough one. PicooZ is all that comes to mind. There are a couple of other 3 channel micro helis out there, but they seem to have as many problems as the MM. Airlark MiniHybrid, or BR ripoff, has had alot of bandwidth over at RCG, but it seems they either work great and break easily, or don't work at all. Then, there's the Airhogs Helix. Decent functionality as I understand it, but problems with input delay and side thruster effectiveness. And, the body MUST be removed as it's ugly as sin.
To be honest, I'd wait for a few months. I think many companies will see the size of the micro heli market and offer better products. The demand is there, they just need to address the quality control issues to avoid massive returns. Any suit in the toy industry worth his blackberry knows that by now.

radbad747 · #26 01-20-2007, 02:26 PM

I agree with you on the demand and how its definately on the rise. I just want to fly indoors real bad and having purchased the Micro-Heli Mag at the Barnes N Nobles recently it just confuses me greatly on which one to get now. I really like the HeliMax in the Tower Hobbys ad. Have you heard negitive things on that one? Seems afordable and has 3 channels . Plus..it looks like a helicopter as it has a rear rotor and not a the double fanned look of the MM..its just Bigger...and thats the bummer side..

Azimov · #27 01-20-2007, 11:39 PM

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I really like the HeliMax in the Tower Hobbys ad. Have you heard negitive things on that one?

Haven't seen that one. I'll have to look it up

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...its just Bigger...and thats the bummer side..

I hear ya there. The thing I like the mosty about the MM is it's functionality and size. It's just plain tiny and that's cool as can be for me. I looked at 4channel helis that are promoted as indoor, but they are just to big to suit me. There is the Micron heli's, but they are a bit pricey.
I flew my MM last night after a few days of sitting on the shelf. It flies great still. An MM with better quality control and a micro gyro would be the perfect indoor flyer. A three channel PicooZ would be a great indoor heli too. That's why I think a few months will provide more choice.

zzultimate · #28 01-21-2007, 10:51 AM

I've got a couple of questions.

Does the charger have an ac adapter?

Do you still think it's worth the $70?

How does it compare to some of the $40 dollar helis, like the mini dragonfly and minihybrid?

Azimov · #29 01-21-2007, 03:45 PM

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Does the charger have an ac adapter?

Yes.

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Do you still think it's worth the $70?

Yes, provided you get a good one and that's the bugger of it all.

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How does it compare to some of the $40 dollar helis, like the mini dragonfly and minihybrid?

I haven't owned either of those two, but from what I can gather, they all fly pretty much the same. The Hybrid is similar in size to the MM (slightly larger rotors) but seems to be very brittle and prone to breakage, particularly the landing gear and tail boom. The dragonfly is slightly larger than an MM and I think it an all around decent flyer from what I've read. Both seem to be prone to having lemons, and niether has the tinyness of the MM (though the Hybrid has a very tiny body). I've considered buying a Dragonfly, because it seems to be the best all around bet for performance and robustness. But, I just wish it was slightly smaller. I just like the fact that the Picoo and the MM (to a certain extent) look to scale sitting next to my Zips and on my track which has a heli pad.